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What cities would you say are fairly dense by American standards yet lack pedestrian activity and why? My vote goes to Miami, Phoenix, and Minneapolis but would like to know what are they lacking for this to turn around?

I can't imagine living in a place like this. There are parts of Seattle that are like that, but other parts are very pedestrian-friendly. Walking to do shopping and to hang out at the coffee shop or bakery are one of life's simple pleasures. I couldn't live without it.

I have to agree on Miami. At 12k/sq mile it is one of the densest cities in the country - more dense (amazingly) than DC and Philly - yet it doesn't feel that way. You hardly see any people on the streets. Nor does it have the kind of structural density (outside of downtown and Brickell) that one would expect from a city with such high population density. It's quite bizarre.

Do you know what neighborhoods of Miami have the highest density? I know the downtown area has the highest concentration of high rises, but you hardly see crowds of people.

The fact is that you are wrong. According to the 2010 U.S census Miami has 399,457 people in 35.87 which is 11,135 square miles vs Philadelphia's 1,526,006 in 134.1 square miles which is 11,379 per square mile. The fact is that Philadelphia is more dense than Miami and if you take Philly's core 35.87 square miles, Philly is significantly more dense than Miami and its not even close.

The fact is that you are wrong. According to the 2010 U.S census Miami has 399,457 people in 35.87 which is 11,135 square miles vs Philadelphia's 1,526,006 in 134.1 square miles which is 11,379 per square mile. The fact is that Philadelphia is more dense than Miami and if you take Philly's core 35.87 square miles, Philly is significantly more dense than Miami and its not even close.

I was going off of the Wiki figures which show a slightly higher population for Miami at 408k and a density of 12,139/sq mile.

The fact is that you are wrong. According to the 2010 U.S census Miami has 399,457 people in 35.87 which is 11,135 square miles vs Philadelphia's 1,526,006 in 134.1 square miles which is 11,379 per square mile. The fact is that Philadelphia is more dense than Miami and if you take Philly's core 35.87 square miles, Philly is significantly more dense than Miami and its not even close.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nei

Little Havana looks by far the densest section of Miami. Between US 41, 7th st, downtown and 22nd Ave, much of it is around 27,000 per square mile.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fitzrovian

I was going off of the Wiki figures which show a slightly higher population for Miami at 408k and a density of 12,139/sq mile.

Don't compare Miami with Philly. Philly stretches for miles in all directions from the center, north,west, and south (a bit less towards the north) with neighborhoods that reach or exceed Little Havana's density. Going south, it holds that density almost exactly to the border. Few cities except maybe Chicago and obviously NYC do this. (Maybe San Francisco, but either way Philly does very well).

Don't compare Miami with Philly. Philly stretches for miles in all directions from the center, north,west, and south (a bit less towards the north) with neighborhoods that reach or exceed Little Havana's density. Going south, it holds that density almost exactly to the border. Few cities except maybe Chicago and obviously LA and NYC do this. (Maybe San Francisco, but either way Philly does very well).

LA certainly is dense, but it also has sprawl. I think what some people refer to is concentrated density. Using one measure I like (perceived density of the MSA divided by actual density of the MSA), LA is the 8th most concentrated MSA (measuring only the top 15). It's slightly less concentrated than Washington and slightly more than Seattle (Miami is 12th, btw, between Dallas and Houston).

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